Thursday, June 4, 2009

R.I.P. Bowen Homes

Atlanta was the first U.S. city to have a public housing project with the construction of Techwood Homes in 1936. Now, housing authority officials believe it will be the first big U.S. city to remove all such projects. By this time next year, all the city’s housing projects will either be demolished or will have a date with a wrecking ball.

HUD cannot confirm that Atlanta will be the first to shed all housing projects, though, because its records do not automatically allow for tracking such statistics, White said.

Atlanta's transformation continued yesterday as Bowen Homes was demolished. Being from the Eastside, I can't say that I just hung out in Bowen Homes like that. For the most part it was one of those spots you really didn't have no business being in if you didn't have no business being there. I used to have to go through there with Hot 97.5 (now 107.9) to do live remotes when I was an intern there.

Though the community had its issues with crime and drugs (as do many others, in the suburbs too) it was still a community. A community where generations of people were raised and a community that contains just as much history as any other part of this city...

So to respectfully address this, I'm going to direct you to some links and content from Dax's site SnortThis.com. He did a Bowen Homes tribute on his site this week. Here is some of it (Dax's words are in all caps/block quotes):

IN THE PAST 3 OR 4 YEARS THE ATLANTA HOUSING AUTHORITY DECIDED TO TEAR DOWN YET ANOTHER ONE OF ATLANTA’S MANY PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS WAY EARLIER THAN THEY PREVIOUSLY AGREED,EVEN AGAINST THERE OWN FEDERAL GUIDLINES,EVICTING HUNDREDS OF SINGLE MOMS,HANDY CAPPED,SENIOR CITIZENS,DOPE BOYS,INNOCENT CHILDREN,AND THE OVER ALL UNFORTUNATE,NEVER THE LESS,GENERATIONS OF FOLKS CALL THIS HOME CONSIDERING THERE 3-4 GENERATIONS DEEP AS BOWEN HOMES RESIDENCE.THIS IS ALSO WHERE A GOOD BIT OF ATLANTA TALENT THRIVED FROM,SUCH AS KOOL ACE,T.I.SHAWTY LO,(D4L)DEM FRANCHISE BOYS,KILO ALI,ANDRE’3000,CHECK OUT BOWEN HOMES IN (OUTKAST)B.O.B. VIDEO DOWN BELOW,BOWEN HOMES ALSO SPAWNED ATLANTA 1st GENERATION GRAFFITI WRITER”SIR LEON” AND “SAVE”WHICH “LEON”MENTORED,AND ARE THE LONGEST ACTIVE MOST INFLUENCIAL TO ATLANTA GRAFFITI.BIG UPS TO “SAVE”FOR HOLDIN DOWN IN THE PLACE HE SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE,WHICH HE INHERITED FROM HIS GRAMMAH AFTER SHE PAST AWAY,TILL THE LAST SECOND UNTIL BEING EVICTED BY THE HEARTLESS PEOPLE AT THE ATLANTA HOUSING AUTHORITY..KEEP YOUR HEAD UP HOLMES!!ITS JUST LIKE WITCH DOCTOR SAYS ON THE SONG “HOLIDAY”,”WHILE ATLANTA’S GOIN UP,ATLANTA’S GOIN DOWN”R.I.P.ALL THE HOMES..TECHWOOD,THE HORSE SHOE,CARVER HOMES,MY FAVORITES,GRADY HOMES,AND CAPITOL HOMES..WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS???THE URBAN SUBURBAN,I DONT STAY IN THE CITY TO LIVE IN THE SUBURBS..THE CITY IS VANILLAFIED WITH VANILLAROMA….NOW TAKE A MOMENT TO SOKE IN THE END OF A CITY,A REAL CITY WITH URBAN ELEMENTS..

PARTS OF THIS (OUTKAST) “B.O.B.” VIDEO WERE SHOT IN BOWEN HOMES,THIS ONE WILL MAKE YOU CRY,UNLESS YOUR WITH THOSE FOLKS W/ NO HEARTS,BESIDES THIS ONE OF THE BEST VIDEOS EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD..!!

Gentrification is has been a touchy topic in numerous cities for sometime now. You have those who feel that communities like Bowen Homes should be swept away thinking that crime and drugs will disappear along with the people. Or that moves like this will make people living in these blight communities "get off their ass" and "get a job." Not knowing that there are people in these communities who are working and aren't depending on Uncle Sam to support them.

When I interviewed Jim Jones for Ozone's cover story last month, I asked him what he felt about gentrification, being that he is from Harlem and their gentrification pretty much set the tone and standard for the rest of the country to follow. He said he was all for it, just don't gentrify the money too. If you gonna tear down 'hoods to build nicer housing that the people in the community can't afford, you need to be bringing jobs along with the new housing. But he was like, as for the people who just don't want to work...hey, no helping them.

That's about where I'm at with it. If a neighborhood has be being stagnant and no good is coming out if it. We need to first figure ways to change things for the better there before we just tear it down and sweep people out. And if you are going to tear it down, make sure those folks already living there are supported by providing jobs as well.

Of course I ain't saying nothing new under the sun. But yeah, how do ya'll feel?

Bonus: Here are a couple more music videos doing their part in showing Bowen Homes' history

11 comments:

ok so they[gov't] can provide jobs but do these former inhabitants really want to work? Generations deep in the projects is a badge of honor to most, instead of a motivation to want more. I am sure they will give vouchers and move them to Riverdale with a few to reside in the new dwellings just as they have done in the past.

is Herndon Homes next? My homie just moved out of there and now is living on Piedmont...sounds like the phase out may have begun...

I'm from baltimore and same thing happen here 15 years ago and the city got worst thats what the story line of wire is about.The dealers from the projects had to compete for turf all over the city while city continued to fall. Simply put ain't no jobs, educational, traning or housing opportunities coming back to bown homes community. the new community will before middle and upper class families. they ain't making nothing new for the poor but prisions. please believe it. Google harlem, altantic city, baltimore, D.C., chi-town, and new orleans regarding this issue and you will see the truth regarding what happens to fed properties after public housing is demolished.

I'm fucking glad they tearing down those damn projects and I hope they tear every other one down in America. Projects breed lazyiness and ineptitude it's ok to be born from there I understand that but by the time you turn 18 you should be gone from that hell holeon to bigger and better things. Fuck keeping it real it's about starting a family and putting them in the best position to succeed. So with that I say FUCK BOWE HOMES AND EVERY OTHER 'PROJECT' IN AMERICA

ITS TRUE,THERE ARE LOTS OF LAZY PEOPLE IN BOWEN HOMES,THERES PROBABLY LAZY PEOPLE IN YOUR FUCKIN HOUSE,AND IN YOUR FAMILY,BUT WHAT ABOUT FOLKS THAT ARE HANDI CAPPED,RETARDED,ETC.?PEOPLE WHO NEED IT.AND BY THE WAY,THERE IS KNOW VOUCHURES,THESE WILL BE THE FOLKS THAT ROB YOUR ASS,CAUSE THERE IS NO HOPE.YOU DONT JUST PUT PEOPLEIN A FUCKED UP SITUATION.AND KICK THEM OUT INTO A MORE FUCKED UP ONE,I'M NOT SAYIN EVERYBODY DESERVES A FREE RIDE,BUT IF YOU PUT FOLKS IN FUCKED UP POSITIONS,WITH NO SOLUTIONS,YOU THINK THERE DUMB ASS GONNA FIGURE IT OUT...NAW..THIS WILL EVENTUALLY COME BACK AND BITE YOUR NAIVE ASS..SHUT THE FUCK UP..P.S.BALTIMORE SUCKS NOW!!!I HOPE YALL COME BACK FAT,MEXICAN AND QUEER IN YOU NEXT LIFE,AND JEWISH,WITH BLACK BABY'S,SEE HOW FAR YOU MAKE IT.

cheap uggs for womenThey are wolves dressed in human skin, what really? An unspoken, Yinbai just think this complaint is too serious, stick, laughing.

cheapest place to buy uggs Shen wife secretly think that intelligent and eager to learn more and more attention, it is discreet little girl, depending on others, and can do reasonable manner, really rare, such a character in the case of talent, it is a good tutor, if training is acquired, is calculating work.

www.cheapestbootsshop.com On several occasions she even want to give up this will go abroad, there have been waiting for her work, foreign language schools, teaching assistants are not eligible for each position, income is also good, Moreover, her boyfriend also yond office.

Oakley Sunglass SaleLi Rong bowed his head, "This is a noble place, the transferee must be someone, I want to discuss the main small favor, Bo trust him."

oakley radar range He said: "I have done three years in a Chinese restaurant summer and would like to write this paper, called 'Chinese restaurant and the students of the social relations', but unfortunately not read humanities." ru13sru

oakley sunglasses for saleHe accompanied her throughout the morning, broke up, he said: "Monday night I'll pick you up from work."

www.verycheapoakleysunglasses.com It certainly brought out by the Shanghai jasper things a little talc carved monkeys, price was very inexpensive, often being used for children to play games on the floor painted white powder line, but your material away from home, if Jane Jasper arch bi.

cheap authentic uggs Zhu officer looked up and down, she saw her school uniform has changed a short skirt, knee-length at the moment have been as short tennis skirt, a bend will see the underwear, feet, wearing a more fashionable platform shoes.

Thanks for sharing this information. I really like your way of expressing the opinions and sharing the information. It is good to move as chance bring new things in life, paves the way for advancement. I have read a lot of article of this web site by which many of them were being very interesting and uplifting. This information has excellent subject along with excellent description.